Tipperary TD criticises the Minister for Justice for failing to attend garda conference

Labour’s justice spokesperson, Alan Kelly TD, has criticised the Minister for Justice for failing to attend the GRA conference.

Deputy Kelly said:

“It’s outrageous that the Minister for Justice has opted not to attend the GRA conference today at a time when the force is under immense pressure. So many rank and file Gardaí tell me they feel they are not being heard by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael justice ministers.

"Minister O’Callaghan’s decision not to attend will only further deepen this issue.

“I raised this on the floor of the Dáil directly with the Minister. I told him if he would not attend, then I would. His decision a slap in the face to hard working members of An Garda Síochána who continue to carry out work to protect our communities under extremely difficult circumstances.

“It’s crucial that the political system engages with our police force. I’ll be spending time in Kerry listening to the concerns of Gardaí and will be bringing these concerns and issues straight back to the Dáil and the Minister’s desk.

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“We are experiencing the greatest crisis ever in the Gardai; morale is on the floor, there is an ongoing recruitment and retention crisis, Gardaí are not adequately resourced and ultimately our policing model is not workable.

“That’s before we discuss the issues that have been brought to my attention around the failure to vet new recruits entering Templemore and a range of other issues happening under the Garda Commissioners watch.

“From meeting with Gardaí, it’s clear that they feel this Commissioner doesn’t have their back. It’s no way to run a police force and it is communities nationwide that will unfortunately pay the price for this. The Minister recently reaffirmed his confidence in this Garda Commissioner, despite clear signs that he is failing to lead the force.

“There are a plethora of issues within the force that demand political action. I look forward to engaging with GRA members this week and over the weeks ahead.”